While our memories are quite accurate most of the time, cognitive science has demonstrated that memory errors are not uncommon. When mistakes occur, they can be large, undetectable, subjectively compelling and reported with as much conviction as genuine memories.

A study in Psychological Science two years ago (2015, Vol. 26(3), 291–301) demonstrated that over the course of three 40-minute sessions one week apart, research participants could be induced to recall false memories of having committed a criminal act a few years earlier. These illusory recollections...